It is barely spring here in the Creston Valley, and we’re just gearing up to go into pollination in the cherry orchards for which this place is famous. As I’d previously reported, we bought Swan Valley Honey last July and made the consequential leap of moving from the Vancouver area to Creston. As we wait […]

We spent much of the weekend out with the bees, making those important late-winter checks to see who had survived and who had not. Some are thriving. But not a few are struggling. What made this weekend both enjoyable and worrisome was the extraordinarily mild weather. February can be a tough month here, both rainy […]

When we first started out beekeeping with two hives, we didn’t need anything to feed other than a bucket, some sugar and a couple of in-frame feeders. These, of course, were for those necessary periods in the fall, winter and early spring when forage isn’t around. If you had told me that we would eventually […]

We’re back right as rain, just as the rain hits. I managed to install new honey bee queens in a number of hives last night, fixing a self-inflicted problem that started when I de-queened the hives as part of an experiment in treating for mites. Stupid me, I then killed almost all of the banked […]

There isn’t a day when I am talking to people about bees that they don’t say something like “is it true that honey bees are dying off, or that they are in trouble?” I usually take the time to explain the considerable problems facing beekeepers today: varroa mites, pesticides, monoculture crops and an agriculture industry […]

I’ve been offline for some time dealing with a number of domestic issues, not the least of which is an aging and ailing mother. But of course, the bees never let you forget that they too need attention, if only to offer a diversion, and to deliver yet another lesson in the long line of […]

An Abbotsford bee-keeper says he is out nearly $100,000 after someone stole 48 hives packed full of honey this month. The hives contained as many as 500,000 honey bees and honey waiting to be removed and processed next month. Abbotsford Police Const. Ian MacDonald said the bee-keeper noticed the theft on July 26 after he […]

There is a new plan to try and develop a “local bee” in British Columbia’s Metro Vancouver area that takes advantage of hardiness of overwintering bees. Because of B.C.’s generally cool winter climate and historic industry standards, beekeepers generally have had to rely on importing packages and queens. At first, they came from the United […]

About . . .

Honey Bee Zen Apiaries Ltd and its subsidiary, Swan Valley Honey Ltd., are known for their sustainable beekeeping practices and a growing list of terroir-based niche honeys.
Based in the verdant Creston Valley in B.C.'s Central Kootenay region, we produce award-winning honeys derived from a vast array of forages, including alfalfa, dutch clover, snowberry, thistle, wild fruits, fireweed, sweet clover and more. The land has provided our Swan Valley branded-honey a gentle, delectable, sweetness sought after throughout the province. We supply over 30 retail locations in B.C.
We are committed to working with farmers who respect the land they use and the bees we provide, and we seek out strong and beneficial relationships. We are interested in the science and breeding of bees, the production of honey and hive products, and trying to resolve the challenges bees and their keepers around the world face.